Knee decisions — 2013

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim and granted service connection for bilateral genu valgum with cruciate ligament instability, finding that the disability was aggravated by in-service activities.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for depression and anxiety with stress prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of any left knee disabilities, as well as whether they are related to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for a VA examination. The claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The right knee disorder claim requires additional development as it was not addressed in the February 2009 VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability is not related to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his knee disorders. The heart disorder claim will also be addressed.

The Board has ordered a remand to determine if the Veteran's right knee disorder was aggravated by his reserve component service. The case is now being returned for further examination and opinion.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disorder existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for cervical spine, low back, left and right knee, and left and right ankle disabilities are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected left ankle injury, right knee, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The Board found that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's right and left knee disorders are etiologically related to his service, resulting in a mixed decision on these claims.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current left and right knee disabilities to his service, including any in-service injury. As a result, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left ankle disorder, left shoulder disorder, right wrist disorder, and left knee disorder were previously denied due to lack of current diagnoses. New evidence has been submitted that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board found no evidence of a current left leg disability related to service and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection. The Board also found that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the left knee did not become manifest during service or within one year after discharge, and thus denied his claim.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, left knee degenerative joint disease, and right knee degenerative joint disease. The Veteran's claims were based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's left knee instability and arthritis have not met the criteria for a higher rating since June 9, 2011, and August 1, 2012 respectively. The claim is denied.

The Veteran seeks service connection for various conditions, including bilateral pes planus and its secondary effects. The case is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination of the Veteran's bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim of degenerative joint disease of the left knee, and service connection was not established for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine has been granted. The claims for allergies, hearing loss, glaucoma, and rheumatoid arthritis and/or arthritis of the cervical spine, elbows, wrists, and hips have also been granted with appropriate ratings. Other claims were denied.